The Mac is not only an integral part of Apple’s ecosystem today, but it’s also the longest-running
product in the company’s history. Dating back to 1984. In fact, the Macintosh existed
before Apple even had an ecosystem of different products. And that puts it in a unique position
today. Compared to more recent releases like the Apple Watch, iPad, and iPhone, the Mac uses
an entirely different type of technology: A mouse and keyboard, instead of a touch screen. This has
caused many people to wonder whether or not Apple would eventually add a touch screen to the Mac,
and therefore make it’s operating system touch-based like on every other product they
offer. But ever since reporters and customers began asking this question, Apple has remained
adamant that a multi-touch Mac doesn’t make sense. And we’re going to find out why in this video.
This is Greg with Apple Explained, and I want to thank Squarespace for sponsoring this video. This
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So let’s start off with the official reason Apple gave as to why they haven’t included
touch screens in the Mac. Apple’s Senior Vice President of Software Engineering was asked
this question directly back in 2018, and he gave a pretty direct answer. Federighi said,
"We really feel that the ergonomics of using a Mac are that your hands are rested on a surface,
and that lifting your arm up to poke a screen is a pretty fatiguing thing to do. I don't
think we've looked at any of the other guys to date and said, how fast can we get there?”
So according to Apple, the biggest hurdle to a touch screen computer
comes down to a simple matter of comfort. And it makes sense. Products with displays
that are used horizontally like iPhones and iPads feel very natural to tap. But computer displays
are almost always used vertically. So hovering your arm to interact with elements on the screen
would quickly become uncomfortable. Just take a look at existing PC notebooks on the market today,
almost every model over $1,000 has a touch screen, but what percentage of users actually use them? If
you browse internet forums you might come across peopling saying things like this:
“Generally I don't use it,” “i have two chromebooks, i just have it on as a gimmick,”
“On my laptop it's just annoying, I didn't want a touch screen, my laptop was a good deal and
just happened to have one.” Comments like these can be heard over and over from users,
with some people not even realizing their notebook had a touch screen in the first place.
So Apple took a completely different approach to touch on the Mac with the Touch Bar in 2016. It
was an OLED display strip that replaced the computer’s row of function keys.
According to Apple, it would allow users to use their Mac in ways never before possible.
With each application, a new interface would be displayed on the Touch Bar, allowing for greater
flexibility and capability than physical function keys. But things didn’t quite pan
out the way Apple expected. Applications didn’t utilize the Touch Bar to it’s fullest potential,
keyboard shortcuts were often faster to execute, and many pro users hated the
virtual escape key. Apple tried satisfying users by reintroducing the physical escape key in 2019
with the 16 inch MacBook Pro, and rumors suggest the 2021 model won’t have a touch bar at all.
So it turns out that there’s a lot more to perfecting touch on the Mac than adding a
horizontal display strip. Just like there’s a lot more to building your own website than
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off your first purchase of a website or domain. Alright now some people believe Apple is working
on a a true touch based MacBook that’ll be release in the next few years. Mainly because of a Mac
App Store faux pas that occurred in November 2020. A developer named Louie Mantia spotted a
banner on the Mac App Store that featured a hand interacting with widgets on a horizontal display.
When this was brought to Apple’s attention, the image was removed immediately. Suggesting that
the graphic was either inaccurate, or released too early before the launch of an upcoming touch
screen Mac. Either way, it fueled even more speculation, which I believed is justified.
Take a look at macOS, it’s an operating system designed for the precision of a cursor. But with
Big Sur, Apple increased the size of icons and added more space between clickable elements,
as if preparing for touch integration. And while this may sound far fetched, consider the fact that
Apple has technically already broken their own rule regarding vertical touch screens. When they
introduced the Magic Keyboard for iPad in 2020, it completely redefined the notebook experience.
Suddenly your iPad had a round cursor that could be controlled using a trackpad that also supported
swipe gestures. It was the first time Apple really blurred the boundary between tablet and notebook.
And I don’t think it’s something we should overlook. Apple built a notebook experience
optimized for a touch-based operating system. Which is something Microsoft has been trying to
do for years with varying degrees of success. If Apple wanted, they could easily bring the
same functionality to the MacBook. Although there are different ways of going about it.
Apple has filed many different patents regarding touch integration on the Mac.
But two in particular have gained traction in the last year. First,
this patent that utilizes your iPhone or iPad as a touch display rather than the one on your
Mac. It’d be more ergonomic since they are horizontal displays, but they’re large enough
to provide a more immersive touch experience than simple buttons or controls. In fact,
many have speculated if this patent would allow an iPad to become a sort’ve Wacom tablet for the Mac.
Providing a wireless drawing experience unlike anything available on a Mac before.
And while the Touch Bar wasn’t a fan favorite, a physical keyboard with displays in each key may
be received differently. This patent describes a physical keyboard with force touch technology and
small displays built into each key cap. Allowing users to reconfigure each key to their liking,
or different layouts for various applications. Like programming, video editing, or essay writing.
Apple was able to bring touch to the iPod, which initially had a click-wheel interface, the iPhone,
iPad, and Apple Watch. The technology has become so ubiquitous that customers have come to expect
it from every Apple product that has a display. I’ve actually experienced this myself while in
Best Buy. A customer approached a MacBook Air and tried tapping on the display, only to realize it
didn’t work. She said, “Wow, they want to charge that much and not even have a touch screen?”
And I’m afraid that sentiment will only become more and more common as users transition from
mobile devices to the Mac. Because keep in mind, while the Macintosh was one of Apple’s
earliest products, it isn’t necessarily the first Apple product customers buy today.
iPads and iPhones make up the vast majority of product sales,
and that means most people are first exposed to Apple’s ecosystem though
touch-based mobile devices, and then find themselves shopping for an Apple computer,
only to be disappointed that it doesn’t deliver the multitouch experience they’ve come to expect.
So one way or another, I think it’s very likely that Apple will implement touch
on the Mac eventually, in a way that enhances the user experience without causing sore arms.
Alright guys thanks for watching till the end, don’t forget to subscribe
to help decide which topics I cover in the future, and I’ll see you in the next video.